


Brave Souls

by KingKagura



Category: Bleach
Genre: AU - Anime Ending (mostly), F/M, Multi, OCs - Freeform, Post-Winter War (Bleach), Shinou Shinigami Academy, Slow Build, Twins Travel to Soul Society, life after death, life in Seireitei, shinigami! Karin, shinigami! Yuzu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-23 00:11:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7459021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingKagura/pseuds/KingKagura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set 2 years after the anime, Kurosaki Karin and Yuzu die by getting pushed in front of a truck. However, when they passed on they didn’t end up in Rukongai - they ended up in Seireitei (Gotei 13)! Join Karin and Yuzu in their adventures in Seireitei!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Brave Soul 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BLEACH! IF I DID IN THE MANGA, KARIN AND TOUSHIRO WOULD MEET LIKE IN THE ANIME!  
> This story is a HitsuKarin & ByaYuzu story! There will be more pairings, however revealing it now will spoil the story!  
> This story is also on my fanfiction! The address is below!  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11901473/1/Brave-Souls

BeepBeepBeep! BeepBeepBeep! BeeBeeBee—! **SLAM!**

"GOOD MORNING MY LOVELY DAUGHT— **ER**!" **THUMP!** Foot met face, and Kurosaki Isshin goes flying, tumbling back to the hallway— **CRASH!**

—And slams into the wall.

A young girl peers down on the pitiful upside-down figure of her father, hands in her long raven hair as she maneuvers it into a tight high ponytail.

 

**KUROSAKI KARIN**

**15 YEARS OLD**

**HAIR: BLACK**

**EYE: GREY**

**OCCUPATION: HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT**

 

She sighs at the sight as she walks towards the kitchen, "'Morning…" she takes her respective seat and starts on her fresh, steaming breakfast of rice, fish, and miso soup.

"Geez! Karin-chan you shouldn't do that to Otoo-san!" A girl with short light brown hair, which are tied back into two pigtails by two small pink balls on each side with a strawberry clip clipped to the right tail, exits the kitchen and joins Karin at the table, taking the seat next to her.

 

**KUROSAKI YUZU**

**15 YEARS OLD**

**HAIR: LIGHT BROWN**

**EYE: BROWN**

**OCCUPATION: HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT**

 

"Don't bother worrying about him, Yuzu." Karin takes a sip from her red-brown bowl, "It's delicious like always."

Yuzu smiles, brightening the morning, causing Karin to give a small smile too. The scene was quite beautiful, that is before the moment was ruined.

From upstairs a booming voice gives a shrill, "GOOD MORNING, ICHIGO!" **THUMP!** **CRASH!**

Loud stomping could be heard, heading down the stairs towards the dining room at a quick uneven tempo. From the stairs pops out a messy orange head of hair, which is on top of a tall young man. "Damn that oyaji…" mumbles the new presence as he strides to his seat across from Karin, slumping down into the chair.

"'Morning, Ichi-nii." Karin greets her older brother with a passive tone, before taking another sip from her soup.

Yuzu sings, "Good morning, Onii-chan!" and she takes a bite from her fried fish.

"'Morning Karin, Yuzu." Ichigo starts on his breakfast, forgetting of the earlier incident of the morning.

Isshin, who was long forgotten by the three Kurosaki siblings, was already downstairs, and weeping to the poster of a beautiful woman with fair skin and long wavy brown hair, smiling even more brightly than Yuzu had. "Oh, Masaki! Why are our children so cruel! Both of our daughters and son are growing up so quickly, and I don't want to let them go!"

 **BAM!** Two punches were delivered to Isshin's face. "SHUT UP!" with fists high in the air – like brother, like sister – Ichigo and Karin, annoyed, had punched their goofy father, letting out a loud shout; and their father went rolling across the floor and ending up with his face meeting the wall.

Yuzu stands up, worried, and checks on Isshin, "Otoo-san, are you alright?"

"Ohh! My dear daughter, Yuzu! How you heal my soul, which has been shattered by your cruel siblings—!" Isshin is in tears, rambling on, when he was cut off by Karin.

"Just ignore him, Yuzu." She adamantly sips her soup, "He isn't worth your time."

"Wah—! Karin, my dear daughter, how could you say tha—!" Isshin starts complaining, only to not be allowed to finish.

The black haired girl stood from her seat, taking her dishes with her as she moves to the kitchen and placing them into the sink. "Come on Yuzu, let's go, or we'll be late."

Yuzu rushes to put away her dishes and grabs her school bag, making her way to the front door, where Karin is waiting for her. Putting on her shoes, Yuzu gives a shout, "We're leaving!" Karin opens the door and walks out to the street with Yuzu in tow.

A faint "Be safe!" was heard from the house, and the fraternal twins are off. The two were conversing like usual as they strolled down the road, on their way to the school. Passing by Urahara Shouten, they stop to see a tall, muscular, lightly-tan skinned man in the yard sweeping along with another tall, lean-built man with light skin wearing a green and white striped hat on his head talking to the other man. The man with the green and white striped hat waves at the twins, calling out to them, "Good morning, Kurosaki-san!"

"Good morning, Urahara-san, Tessai-san!" the twins slightly bow to the two men, which Tessai responds with a nod.

"Have fun at school!" Urahara sings to them as they leave, and the twins give a wave in response.

The twins continue on their journey to school, chatting about what they would do for the day as they stop at the stop light.

A tingle runs through both Karin and Yuzu's mind.

A light touch of a hand on each of their backs.

An equally light push.

A loud, deafening screeching of tires.

 

 

 

 

**BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP—**


	2. Brave Soul 2

"Hey Karin-chan." the light brown haired younger Kurosaki twin breathes out.

"Yes Yuzu?" the raven haired older Kurosaki twin responds.

"Where are we?"

_That is a good question._ Karin Kurosaki thought to herself. If she was recalling right, she and her fraternal twin were waiting at the stop light, just moments ago. And just moments ago someone had pushed them in front of a truck. So, yeah, from what memories served, Karin could presume that she and Yuzu were in fact **dead**. Now the only question was…

_Where are we?_ Karin knew for a fact where the two of them were, in fact, even Yuzu understood where they were. The two look at the pit in the ground below them, which had caught them in their "fall" before observing their surroundings. It looked like the Edo period, with the buildings being white and the roofs being black, and that was all they needed to see to know they were in Soul Society. It has been three years since Ichigo has defeated Aizen in the Winter War, and two years since they had finally gotten an explanation from the older Kurosakis. Isshin had confessed to have been a captain of the Gotei 13 and Ichigo had confessed to being a shinigami, even if it is a substitute. Karin made sure that they didn't leave any details out, so the twins were indeed informed of at least what Seireitei looked like. And that description of Seireitei awfully fits with their current location.

**Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Emergency Alert! Clang! Clang! Emergency Alert! Intruders in Seireitei! Clang! Clang! Clang! All squads, please take defensive positions! Clang! Clang! Repe—!**

Karin grabs a hold of Yuzu's wrist and makes a dash for it. "Yuzu! We need to find somewhere safe!"

"Where is that?!" Yuzu practically screams as she pants from running.

"Let's just hope no one starts chasing us!" Karin bellows.

However, there wish could not come true. Suddenly, a crowd of people dressed in black robes and a sword at their waists came running behind the twins. "Stop right there!" they yell, but the twins only continue running for their lives. Karin makes a turn to the right, only to find another group of Shinigami coming for them that way. Hastily, Karin makes a U-turn to the opposite side. _I need to keep Yuzu safe..._ And then a building with the chinese character six on it enters her field of vision. _Or at least hide her and find some help._ Karin closes her eyes, trying to train her reiatsu so she can sense her surroundings. Noticing that no one was in the division, Karin makes a sudden stop, making Yuzu slide into her.

"Karin-chan, what's wrong?!" Yuzu shrieks slightly when Karin puts her hands around Yuzu's shoulders, picking her up slightly. She brings Yuzu into her arms bridal style before throwing her over the gate. Yuzu lands with a thud on her butt, and tears start to reach her eyes. "Karin-chan?" her voice trembles. _Why would Karin-chan…?_

"Hide there, and make sure not to get caught! I'll get some help!" Karin shouts from the other side of the fence. Then Yuzu heard a couple of shouts from those shinigami, now catching up to Karin. And she could hear Karin start dashing off, with all those shinigami stalking behind her.

Yuzu is afraid. She let out a soft breathe before bringing her hands together and pressing them hard against one another, silently praying. _Please be safe, Karin… and come for me soon…_

Yuzu closes her eyes, taking a deep breath before letting it out silently, as if she were letting out her fear with it. Yuzu opens her eyes, determined, before tiptoeing off to find a safe place to hide like Karin told her to.


	3. Brave Soul 3

A flash of white passes through, jumping from roof to roof of Seireitei towards the 1st division. Once reaching the enormous double-doors of the Soutaicho's office, a certain prodigy captain pushes open the doors, entering the room in a calm, confident stride and takes his place in between a tall man with a straw hat on his curly brown hair and a pink, flowered kimono over his shoulders and a man with a painted face wearing a golden headdress. A cough disrupts the quiet room, as the Soutaicho, an old man by the name of Yamamoto Genryuusai, begins the captain's meeting. "I would like to begin this meeting by addressing the disturbance in the World of the Living. If Kurotsuchi-taicho could begi—,"

**Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Emergency Alert! Clang! Clang! Emergency Alert! Intruders in Seireitei! Clang! Clang! Clang! All squads, please take defensive positions! Clang! Clang! Repe—!**

"Oya, oya! Ryokas again?" Kyouraku laughs, "The last time the alarm went off, Ichigo-kun and his friends broke in and caused a ruckus among the squads! What do you suppose it could be this time?"

A man with long, flowing white hair that almost reaches his waist frowns slightly, "Shunsui, I believe this isn't an appropriate time to joke around…"

"That is correct, Ukitake-taicho. We must make haste," A man with smooth black hair states, "If we are to see that our barracks are not once again destroyed after three years by the likes of another ryoka."

"I must agree with Kuchiki-taicho on this matter," a woman with black hair and two long braids tied in the back responds, "We should go after the intruders, and deal with them as quickly as possible."

"Heh!" A certain captain with spiky black hair spits, "These ryokas aren't strong at all! We should just let our squads take them out."

"A brute as always aren't we Zaraki." Mayuri comments, "We need to keep them alive so I can see how exactly they were able to break through our barrier this time."

"On your words, Soutaicho." A kind looking woman with black hair and braids extending over her chest smiles. All eyes move to the old man at the front of the room, waiting for orders.

"You will all search for the ryokas! Do not kill them as we are to question them! If you are able to apprehend them, question who they are and what their reason is for invading Seireitei!" he stomps his cane against the wooden floor, "You are dismissed!" All captains, except for the Soutaicho, quickly flash step out of the room.

Meanwhile, a bit farther away from where the captains were meeting, a certain raven haired tomboy has finally lost all of the barbaric grunt Shinigami who were chasing after her. She closes her eyes as she searches for Yuzu's faint reiatsu, only to open her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. _Good, no one has found her yet._ Kurosaki Karin is indeed able to sense other's reiatsu. Unlike her brother, she is able to control her reiatsu through a few years of self-training, and could even go to the extent of suppressing her reiatsu. Since she had heard the blaring intruder alarm Karin has been doing just that, suppressing her reiatsu to be no more powerful than a regular grunt shinigami. Abruptly, after turning a corner, Karin has caught sight of another division building, however this one is labeled with the character of ten on it.

A shock flashes through Karin's mind, as memories flow through her brain. Memories of a certain short white haired Shinigami captain with the very character on his white haori. His clear turquoise eyes, soft white head of hair, and his smile that he had shown her every once in awhile. _Toshiro…_ Taking another look at the building, the girl hesitates before rushing inside, not stopping until reaching the inside of the captain's office.

As Karin was entering the 10th Division's office, the owner of the room, Hitsugaya Toshiro is running back to his division, he hears the familiar voice of a woman calling for him. "Taicho!~" the white haired young man turns to see his strawberry blonde lieutenant following behind him.

"Matsumoto, we are to return to the office." Toshiro commands his lieutenant, "We should first regroup the division and then see what action to take next."

Matsumoto gave a playful salute, "Yes, taicho!"

The two Shinigami make their way to the 10th Division, only to stop right outside the building. The two of them could feel it. A familiar reiatsu, yet unfamiliar at the same time, is currently trespassing their office. The prodigy captain's teal eyes move to exchange a glance with the strawberry blonde lieutenant's before they both quickly make their way to their office.

 _Who could it be…? This reiatsu is so familiar… but where have I felt it before?_ Toshiro's eyebrows scrunch into a frown as he tries to recall who the owner of this mystery reiatsu is, only to leave him frustrated for not knowing. With a few more hasty steps, the pair reaches their office, and were ready to confront the sudden intruder. _I guess I will find out then._ Putting his hand on the door, the white haired captain slides his office's door open.

Toshiro froze.

Sitting on his sofa is a girl. With shiny raven hair tied back into a ponytail, beautiful grey eyes that stare straight at him, and smooth lips lifting up into a smirk at the sight of him.

"Yo," the girl smirks.

"Kurosaki!"

The raven haired tomboy raises her hand into the air, waving slightly to the young captain. "How have you been, Toshiro?"


	4. Brave Soul 4

" _Kurosaki!"_

" _How have you been, Toshiro?"_

Right before his eyes is Kurosaki Karin. Yes, that very same substitute shinigami's little sister and the very same girl he helped back in the World of the Living with soccer games. _How could I forget this reiatsu!_ Toshiro was in awe, still slightly in shock from the knowledge of the young raven haired girl's presence. _She_ _ **died**_ _?!_ White eyebrows furrow at the thought and his lips tug into a frown. _What could she be doing in Seireitei, though? Dead humans usually go to Rukongai, and it should be impossible for Kurosaki to just come in here by breaking in…_

Suddenly, something snaps the short captain's thoughts. Well, not just anything, it was his strawberry blonde voluptuous lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku, who pushes her captain out of the doorway and squeals. "Karin-chan!" As she dives into a quite-literally breathtaking hug.

"Mmmmnn! Mmmnnnnmmm!" Karin struggles as her face is being suffocated by Matsumoto's massive bosom.

A raging vein pops out of the young prodigy's face as he scrunches his eyes shut and tightens his fists in frustration. Snapping, Hitsugaya growls, "Matsumoto..."

Still keeping the poor Kurosaki girl stuck in her tight hold, Rangiku turns to her captain and tilts her head looking innocent. "What is it, taicho?"

Hitsugaya sighs, trying to calm himself before he finally blew it. "Let her go, she can't breathe."

Matsumoto peers down at the raven haired girl who is trying to surrender for air, and a realization hits her. "Oh!" The strawberry blonde quickly lets go of the younger Kurosaki, and quickly apologizes. "Sorry, Karin-chan. I got so excited so...:"

The black haired girl staggers, now finally free of the lieutenants grasps. However, Karin stumbles around the room, still dizzy, and almost falls to the ground. **ALMOST.** Two strong hands catch the girl's shoulders and pull them towards its owner. One of these hands rises from its place and rests itself on the silky raven locks as it gently pushes Karin's head into the owner's shoulder. Karin froze there. Breathing in the refreshing scent of watermelons and the sweet scent of vanilla. _This is Toshiro's smell…_ Karin steadies herself carefully and then stands straight. Keeping a hand on Toshiro's shoulder, Karin smiles at him, "Thanks, Toshiro."

"No problem." Serious turquoise eyes meet calm grey eyes. "Now, could you explain why exactly you are in Seireitei, Kurosaki?"

Karin pauses. _Why am I here...?_ "I died."

Toshiro furrows his eyebrows once again. "That is obvious, but the question was why you were in **Seireitei** , not how you got here. You should have ended up in Rukongai when you died, yet why are you here?"

Karin's eyes widen in surprise, "Ehh?! Is that why the alarm went off?! But, when Yuzu and I woke up we were in the middle of here! We've been here since we died!"

This time it was Matsumoto and Toshiro who looked at each other in surprise, "Yuzu?!"

"Yeah, Yuzu. Remember she is my twin sist...er…" Abruptly, Karin reaches out both her hands and squeezes Toshiro's shoulders, "We need to find Yuzu!"

Concurrently to that event, a certain Kurosaki Yuzu is alone. Alone and afraid. The cause was probably the intimidating reiatsu flares passing by the walls near her hiding place. The younger Kurosaki twin is currently residing in a garden. It is a very beautiful garden, well taken care of and splendid. However, she did not have time to exactly enjoy the relaxing scenery as she was trembling behind a tree, hoping to stay hidden until Karin came back for her.

 _Karin-chan… I'm scared…_ A soft sob escapes her lips. Tears stream down her cheek.

Then, a certain black haired nobleman enters his division's garden, and he quickly notices the foreign invader in his domain. Silently, he hides his reiatsu and makes his way to the mysterious ryoka who is hiding behind the sakura tree.

 **Sob… Sob… sniffle! Sob!** The curious Byakuya's eyes widen in surprise at what he has caught sight of. A small shivering form of a crying little girl with short honey brown hair was sitting with her face buried in her knees.

"What are you doing here."

The girl jumps as her sob hitches, and she cautiously turns her head to face the noble captain. Eyes full of tears that run down her rosy cheeks, her light brown bangs sticks to her forehead from sweat, her pink lips slightly parts, trying to form words that in her struggle only come out silent. Byakuya doesn't understand why but something about the girl's expression irks him, and before Byakuya even realizes it, his body is moving on its own.

Yuzu feels a gentle hand reach for her right arm, dragging her up to her feet and turns her towards its owner. The other hand reaches for the back of her head, carefully pulling her into his chest. Yuzu is in shock for a moment, trying to wrap her mind around what is occurring. A soothing, low, smooth voice whispers above her head. "It's okay now. There is no need to be afraid." Byakuya gently pats the top of Yuzu's head. Yuzu in turn begins to calm down.

She buries her tear-stained face into the man's uniform, breathing in softly.


	5. Brave Soul 5

"YOU LEFT HER WHERE?!" In a rushing pace, heads of white, black, and blonde respectfully are on the move, jumping from building to building. The white haired young captain was in awe at the young black haired girl's explanation of the tale of her journey in Seireitei. Currently, the two shinigami and part shinigami spirits were at the part where Karin left Yuzu to hide in the sixth division.

Toshiro was beginning to sweat—not from all the running—but from the thought of what would happen to the poor Kurosaki girl should she be found by Kuchiki-taicho. _Kuchiki-taicho is one to stick to duty and pride, and he would never harm a defenseless little girl._ _But how about his squad? If it was Abarai_ _then it wouldn't matter either since he seems to know all of the Kurosaki family. Let's just hope one of those two found her._

The three souls finally reach the sixth division, and through their abilities they tried to find Yuzu. A little spark passes through Karin's mind as she notices her twin's reiatsu. Pointing in the direction of the garden, Karin shouts, "She is in there! It looks like she is still alone, so let's hurry!"

Karin makes a head dash for the garden as Rangiku makes a start to follow her, however Hitsugaya froze in realization. _It's faint, but I can feel it… this reiatsu… is it?_ "Wait Kurosaki! Don't charge in there!"

It was too late.

"YUZU!" Karin cries out as she trespasses into the sixth division's garden. Karin froze immediately after entering. Rangiku comes up behind her and takes a peek at what the younger girl is looking at.

"Oh-hoh~" The strawberry blonde's lips tug into a mischievous smile at the sight.

A handsome tall man with long black hair stood there, his right hand tangled in the honey blonde locks of what looks to be Yuzu Kurosaki and his left hand rubbing the small girl's back gently. The man looks up at the intruders, his expression cool as he carefully pets the girl so closely pressed against his chest. Kuchiki Byakuya's expression instantly changes slightly at the new presences, from surprise then to stern. His voice low, deep, and soothing welcomes them, "What are you doing here," His eyes avert to the white head of hair popping out from behind the lieutenant. "Hitsugaya-taicho."

"I came to return the girl's sister to her," Hitsugaya replies cooly, his turquoise eyes meeting the grey ones of Byakuya. The young captain notions Karin to follow him as he walks close to the other captain and Kurosaki. Karin follows him closely, as she is a bit wary of the other captain.

Byakuya's grey eyes meet Karin's own, "Is this your sister?"

"Yeah, could you give her back to me now?" The raven haired girl smirks.

"Don't worry I was merely comforting her since she was crying." Byakuya looks down at the small honey blonde below him. He pets her hair softly before kneeling before her, "It's alright now. Your sister has come back for you, look."

Yuzu brightens at the mentioning of her twin, and she quickly turns to face Karin. Elated, she starts to sob, "K-karin-chaannn!" Yuzu tackles Karin and brings her into a great big hug. Tears are running down her cheeks as she squeezes her older twin.

Karin smiles warmly and pets Yuzu's hair much-like Byakuya had before, "I'm right here, Yuzu. Sorry to leave you here like that. Look I found Toshiro, so everything will be alright now." Karin grins, "Come on dry your tears up! You look like a mess."

At the mention of the younger captain's first name coming from the raven-haired girl's mouth, the Kuchiki raised his eyebrow at Hitsugaya, but does not mention it. Instead he watches the two sisters interact, feeling that it was heart-warming. However—that is that and duty is duty—he needs to question the two girls.

The Kuchiki head clears his throat, catching the attention of everyone, "Now, would you two please explain who you are and what are you doing here." Byakuya returns to his normal, stiff self as he gets straight to business.

"Oh yeah," the black-haired girl mumbles, "I forgot about this."

"Karin-chan!" the honey blonde haired girl scolds the other, "Come on, let's do this together."

Both girls bow and smile to the Kuchiki head, "Hello! We are the Kurosaki twins!"

The girl with light brown hair speaks first, "I am Kurosaki Yuzu! Please take care of me!"

The girl with black hair then continues, "I am Kurosaki Karin, and what might be your name captain of the sixth division?"

Byakuya observes the two girls, the one he had found earlier—Yuzu—seems to be the milder of the two, soft, kind and warm. Then there is the girl who came in with Hitsugaya-taicho—Karin—she seems to be more rough around the edges and much like Kurosaki Ichigo, however she is more polite. "Kuchiki Byakuya," the Captain of the sixth division's smooth grey eyes roll over the two girls, he turns his attention to Hitsugaya who was watching over the two from afar with his lieutenant. "I will trust that you can question them further then, Hitsugaya-taicho."

"Yes, leave that to me, Kuchiki-taicho."

"I will go report to Soutaicho of their presence."

"Please do."

Byakuya was about to take off, however right before he began there was a tug at his sleeve. Byakuya's silver eyes wander down to the light brown eyes of Kurosaki Yuzu. "Yes?"

Yuzu fidgets with Byakuya's shihakusho's sleeve, as she brings the words out of her mouth. "Thank you very much, Kuchiki-san!" She smiles at him.

A pang feeling flashes across Byakuya's chest. "No need to thank me." He gently pulls Yuzu's fingers off his shihakusho, before he takes another look at Yuzu's face. "Tears ruin a woman's face." With those words, Byakuya flash steps away from his division and towards the first division.

_What was that sensation…_


	6. Brave Soul 6

"Kurosaki Ichigo's younger sisters have made their presence here in Seireitei," The tall raven haired captain reports to the two older men in the room – the Soutaicho and his lieutenant.

The old Yamamoto opens one eye to stare at Byakuya, "I see." Then he closes his eye, "That means we are soon to hear from him then…"

Choujirou Sasakabe inquires, "Should I prepare for his arrival?"

"Yes," Yamamoto nods to his lieutenant, who in turns bows before leaving the room.

Byakuya speaks up, "What are we to do with the girls?"

"Do what we must," Yamamoto replies, "After all they are the family of our savior."

Meanwhile, back at the 10th Division's office, a certain prodigy captain is pulsing in annoyance.

"Oh, it' so nice for you both to drop in like this!" Matsumoto is all giddy and chatting with the Kurosaki twins, "I know! Why don't we celebrate! Drinks on me!"

"Ehh… but Matsumoto-san we are both still underage. I believe it is not right for us to drink yet." Yuzu tries to reject the proposal.

Matsumoto laughs, "Just call me Rangiku already, Yuzu-chan!" She raps her arm around Yuzu's shoulders, "Besides, you guys are spirits now, so age doesn't particularly matter!"

Karin pipes in, "Rangiku-san, please don't pollute my sister with those sorts of ideas."

"Oh, Karin! Drinking really is the best! You two should join me—since a certain taicho won't join me—and I'm so lonely!~"

A vein pops from Toshiro's head as he growls, "Matsumoto…"

"Yes, Taicho?" Matsumoto holds onto Karin as she turns around to look at her captain.

"Get to work!" He orders, "And leave Kurosaki alone. Here!" the short captain hands the tall strawberry blonde woman a stack of papers. "I need you to deliver this to the 1st Division."

Matsumoto sighs, "Aww… work already…" she complains but she takes the papers anyways. She then exits the room, "Bye bye, Karin-chan, Yuzu-chan!"

The white haired captain sighs, finally able to have some peace without his lieutenant around. Suddenly, a steaming cup of green tea is set in front of him, "Here, Toshiro-kun." Yuzu serves him with a smile, "I hope you didn't mind that I used your pot, I made some tea to soothe your fatigue."

Toshiro looks up at the brunette, "Thank you, Yuzu-san." Then he picks up the cup and takes a sip, "It is very delicious."

Suddenly a voice breaks the soothing atmosphere, "Hey,"

The prodigy looks up to the couch, eyeing the raven-haired girl who had spoken. "Yes, Kurosaki?"

"Toshiro, why do you always call me 'Kurosaki'?"

"So, what?" The white-haired captain replies indifferently.

"Isn't it weird? You call me 'Kurosaki' but you call Yuzu 'Yuzu-san'! You call my brother 'Kurosaki' too, so how about if my brother is here?! How am I supposed to differentiate if you are calling for me or not? There are three Kurosakis!" Karin complains.

Toshiro pauses. _Why do I call her Kurosaki? Well of course it's because she is a Kurosaki… And I have always called her Kurosaki. But, I guess it will be confusing when her brother comes to call her 'Kurosaki' too…_ He sighs, then buries his chin into the palm of his hand. His beautiful teal eyes meet clear grey ones.

"Then do you want me to call you _Karin_ from now on?"

Karin could feel her cheeks slightly flush, as the heat rose to her head. Reluctantly and embarrassed she replies in a low tone, "Y-yeah…"

Yuzu smiles at the romantic atmosphere. _I'm happy for you Karin-chan. Now your romance with Toshiro-kun can definitely happen! And you two can marry and live happily-ever-after!_ Yuzu daydreams of her twin and the young captain getting married. But then shakes her head to snap out of it. _I should find a way to get out of here unnoticed so they can continue!_ Yuzu begins to walk towards the exit, however, both Karin and Toshiro had snapped out of their little daze of a second ago.

"Yuzu, where are you going?" Karin inquires her twin, causing her to jolt in surprise.

Yuzu laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head, "I was planning to stroll through the garden."

Toshiro is quick to take action, "I apologize that my office isn't very hospitable, however, please make do with it. The outside of this office is dangerous for now, as other shinigamis will view you as a ryouka. So I advise that you both stay indoors."

"Oh…" Yuzu lowers her head, dejected. She walks back to the couch and takes a seat next to her twin.

Karin, noticing her sister's disappointment, suggests, "Hey, Toshiro, it would be fine as long as you were supervising us right? Can you give us a tour of Seireitei?"

The genius cocks and eyebrow at his friend, as he considers the suggestion. "I don't see any problem with that," He rises from his seat and walks over to the two girls. "If you both really want to, I suppose it is alright. We wouldn't want you getting lost here later on."

Yuzu's face instantly brightens, "Thank you Toshiro-kun! Karin-chan!"

"Just be sure to lower your reiatsu." Toshiro tells the twins.

"Okay!" Karin and Yuzu close their eyes, and soon, their reiatsu is suppressed to the size of an average grunt.

The young captain is curious. _How exactly did they learn to suppress their reiatsu? Kurosaki? No, he has no control over his reiatsu. Isshin-taicho? Possibly… after all he wouldn't want his daughters to attract hollows…_ Toshiro finally decides to stop thinking and to just ask, "Who taught you two how to suppress your reiatsu?"

Karin, surprised, answers, "Urahara-san. He said something like 'We don't want any more hollow rods like your older brother, so I'll teach you two how to control your reiatsu for free!' with a shady smile on his face."

The white-haired boy sweat drops. _I can imagine him saying that._ "Well, at least he is useful, if you guys didn't learn how to suppress your reiatsu someone else may have found you two and captured you."

"Yeah! That Urahara-san is shady, but his work is good!" Karin sighs.

Toshiro looks out the window and notices that it is still early afternoon. "We should be on our way, or the sun will set."

"Yeah!"

The three exit the 10th division office and enter the streets of Seireitei.


	7. Brave Soul 7

The wind blows through the locks of the tall young man as he stands over the city. They giggle as they tangle with his soft, messy orange hair. Annoyed, he brushes the strands back with his hand. The white cloth wrapping his giant knife-like zanpakuto flutters as it dances with the wind. He sighs, "Urahara, that bastard better be right…"

With determined eyes he peers down at Seireitei. "Wait for me, Karin, Yuzu."

"I'm coming."

And with the wind, the young man disappears in a flash.

Hitsugaya Toshiro is extremely irritated.

"Taichou~" Matsumoto Rangiku, his lieutenant slurs, "What are you doing here?~ And with the lovely Karin-chan and Yuzu-chan~ hic!"

Yes, the three teens have somehow wounded up catching the 10th division lieutenant skipping her duties to drink once again. As the 10th division captain was giving the two girls a tour around Seireitei, he decided to show them to the 13th division, where Ukitake-taicho was sure to be. On the way there however, they passed by the 8th division. That brings us to where they are now.

The strawberry blonde woman raises her jug of sake in the air, "You guys should drink with us! It'll be a lot of fun~" She shakes the bottle in the air cheerily.

Beside her, a man with curly brown hair tied back in a ponytail is also drinking from a jug of sake. He takes notice to the guests and brightens up, "Oh! Look at this here! What lovely ladies we have! Don't tell me out little captain finally has a girlfriend!" He pats the smaller captain on the head. Getting close to Toshiro, he grins cheekily, "So which one is it?"

Toshiro's eyebrow twitches, "Which is what, Kyouraku-taicho?"

"Your girlfriend of course." Kyouraku smirks.

"G-girlfriend?!" Toshiro's cheeks flush slightly. He takes a glance at Karin, who notices his glance so glances back at him.

Kyouraku observes the smaller captain and grins amusedly, "Oh~" Stealing Hitsugaya's attention away. "So it's her huh… not bad."

After hearing those words, Hitsugaya's whole face turns bright red. "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"

"Taicho what are you talking about?!" A young woman with her black hair pinned back and glasses appears. She slams her notebook on top of Kyouraku's head, before stealing away his alcohol. "You need to get to work!" she turns to the smaller captain and bows slightly. "I'm sorry Hitsugaya-taicho for my taicho."

"No it is fine, Lieutenant Ise." Hitsugaya responds, "I should apologize for my lieutenant, it seems that she has distracted Kyouraku-taicho from his duties."

"Oh no, Kyouraku-taicho most likely invited her to drink instead!" Then the bespectacled woman notices the two girls behind the white haired captain. "Hitsugaya-taicho, who might they be? I haven't heard anything about any new recruits coming..."

Hitsugaya panics slightly. _I can't let her realize they were the ryoka..._ "No. They aren—"

"Yeah! Hic! What a silly thing to say Nanao-chan-hic!" Rangiku cuts in, "These are Ichigo's adorable little sisters-hic!" she laughs, "Hear this Nanao-chan! They actually are the ryoka from this morning! Hic! Isn't it amusing-hic!"

Nanao blinks, frozen in surprise for a few seconds. Then, she composes herself and turn towards the twins behind Hitsugaya. She exhales a sigh, "Well… that's Kurosaki Ichigo's little sisters for you…" She gives a small smile, "Hello, I am the lieutenant of the 8th Division, Ise Nanao. Pleased to meet you."

Karin, surprised by the bespectacled woman's calm reaction, smirks; while, Yuzu happy to have met someone new grins cheerfully, "Nice to meet you, Ise-san. I am Kurosaki Yuzu," the brunette points towards her twin, "And this is my twin sister, Karin-chan. Please take care of us." She gives a bow and smile to Nanao.

Karin takes this as her cue to speak, "I'm Kurosaki Karin! We are in your care for the time being." She also bows along with Yuzu.

"You girls are very polite, unlike your brother." Nanao responds, "Anyways…" She quickly spins her attention from the girls to her captain. "KYOURAKU-TAICHO!" The kimono clad man jolts at the sound of his name, and Nanao uses her right hand to adjust her glasses.

Turning around slowly, Kyouraku laughs, "Hehe… Isn't it a fine day Nanao-chan? A perfect day for sake with friends?!" the brunette man whistles.

"It isn't time for games, taicho! You need to get to work!" Nanao scolds.

Suddenly, Kyouraku stands up. "Well, well! I just remembered! I believe Jushiro has gotten some new tea—better check that out now shouldn't we?!"

The bespectacled woman's eyebrows twitch. "Taicho…" Boiling up in anger, the lieutenant strides towards her captain as he runs of towards the 13th Division.

"See you all later!~" Kyouraku waves goodbye to the rest of the group.

Toshiro, Karin, and Yuzu sweat drop as Rangiku waves cheerily. "Bye~ bye~"

This time it's Hitsugaya's eyebrows turn to twitch, as he glares at his lieutenant and sighs, "So? How long are you going to be drunk for, hurry and sober up and get to work!"

The strawberry blonde pouts, "Awww~ But taicho!~" A menacing aura flows out of Hitsugaya, and Rangiku backs away. "Fine…" the voluptuous woman stands up quickly and gives a wave to the young trio as she takes her leave. "Bye, bye~ See you later, Karin-chan, Yuzu-chan! Have fun with taicho~"

Once the lieutenant leaves, Hitsugaya sighs, exhausted. Karin gives him a worried look before her lips tug into a soft smile. She pats his back, and laughs. "Thanks for the hard work!"

Hitsugaya lifts his head and stares into Karin's clear grey eyes. A small smile forms, "Unn." Karin's cheeks bloom a light pink at the aloof boy's abrupt surprise attack. However, it didn't last long, as the smile that had so suddenly appeared also suddenly disappeared. Toshiro turns his head away from Karin and instead focuses on the sky.

He hadn't realized it earlier, but they had wasted so much time scolding Matsumoto and speaking with Kyouraku-taicho and lieutenant Ise, that he had lost track of time. The sun which was hanging in the sky earlier was already gradually slipping towards sleep. The sky matching the sun's mood glows a vibrant orange-peach. _Too bad it is so late, or else I would have been able to finish the tour…_ The prodigy captain brings back his attention to his friend and her sister, who were chatting giddily on the side. _Well, I guess it isn't so bad…_

He clears his throat to catch the two girls' attention. "It is getting late, we should head back to the barracks before the sun truly sets." He starts walking towards the direction they had come from. Not hearing any footsteps, he turns around to face the two girls. "Come on, Kurosaki, Yuzu-san. Or you'll get left behind."

The twins blink before smiles cover their faces. "Okay!" They stride towards the young captain, who turns around towards the path once again. A small smile creeps onto his lips.

"Hey, wait a minute! Toshiro!" Karin wines, "You called me 'Kurosaki' again!"

The raven-haired tomboy suddenly swings her hand and slaps the captains back, making him squeal out an "Oomph!"

She brings him into a neck hold, "'didn't I tell you to call me by my name!" she rubs his white spiky hair messily and laughs as Toshiro tries to pry her off gently. Yuzu watches from the side and giggles at the scene.

Toshiro finally gives in to Karin, "Alright, alright!" He tilts his head so he can stare into Karin's grey eyes with his own teal ones, a small smirk evident on his face. "Karin."

Rosy pink tints paint the teen girl's cheeks as her whole face gradually overheats. She let go of the captain hastily. _What is this?! Why is my heart beating so quickly?!_ Karin grabs her cheeks with her hands and stares at the ground. _Why are my cheeks so hot?! Am I getting sick? Wait do souls even get sick?!_

Toshiro blinks at Karin's strange behavior. _Usually she would have a comeback right now, what is wrong?_ Toshiro glances at Karin only to see her position, looking down with her hands on her face. _Huh?_ Unconsciously, his hand reaches towards the young girl.

"KARIN! YUZU!"

A familiar masculine voice shouts, as a young man enters the scene. Suddenly in a flash two bbig hand were on Karin's shoulders and the sudden intruder was shaking poor confused Karin. "Are you okay?! Are you hurt anywhere?! Oh, I knew I should've brought Inoue with me! Did they treat you badly?!"

A head of messy orange hair, a tall young man with a large knife-like zanpakuto; it can only be Kurosaki Ichigo!

"Ichi-nii!" Karin yelps in surprise.

"Onii-chan?!" Yuzu rushes towards her siblings.

Ichigo pulls Yuzu into a hug with Karin, "I'm here, now. Everything is alright."

The twins' eyes widen, but then gradually metamorphosis into a bright smile. Melting into the comfort of their older brother's warm hug, they reply. "Yeah!"


	8. Brave Soul 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, sorry it took so long to update! I had most of this planned out but I had no inspiration to write! Anyways, please enjoy!

_It has been 2 days since Karin-chan and I died and landed in Seireitei. We both have adjusted to Soul Society, though Karin-chan seemed to have adjusted easily compared to me. Everyone is very kind here and has welcomed us – though that may have been because of Onii-chan._

_The Soutaichou is allowing us to stay for the time being until we decide what we should do from now on. Honestly, I am scared and confused. I don’t know what I should do—_

 

“Yuzu! It’s time for the party!” Yuzu stops writing and puts down her pen to turn towards her black haired twin at the door. The honey brunette girl rises from her seat as she closes her journal.

She walks to the door smiling and joins her sister as they walk towards the quad, “I wonder what Seireitei parties are like… Karin-chan, do you know?”

“Rangiku-san says that they’re the best, but I think that’s only because she can skip work,” Karin answers back with a chuckle. The two girls finally reach the square.

The area was lit by torches on the perimeter and rows of blankets cover the cement ground. Many Shinigami sat on the blankets, sake cups in hand, as they drink into the night.

Karin and Yuzu scan the area for some familiar faces, only to catch sight of two young shinigami, one blonde and the other with tattoos on his face, as they try to refuse a drink from a certain strawberry blonde. However, they fail, as Rangiku shoves the bottle to their mouths and forces them to drink.

Karin makes the wise decision of turning away from them instantly, as she prays in her mind the safety of the two men. After turning around, she spots a head of orange hair not too far from where she and her twin were standing. So, tugging on the brunette’s arm, she motions over to their brother’s direction, before making her way there. Yuzu follows behind her, taking a glance at her surroundings as she does.

As the two girls get closer to their brother, they notice that he sitting with many others. Across from their orange-head brother is a red haired guy with a long ponytail – the girls knew that was Abarai Renji, Ichigo’s friend who barged into their house as an old English cop with a gun in hand. Yeah—it wasn’t the best first impression… Next to Renji was a familiar petite raven-haired girl, Kuchiki Rukia, who had come up with a whole farfetched story about her past so that she could stay with them. Yuzu believed the story until recently when she found out Rukia was also a Shinigami; Karin on the other hand never believed it. Lastly, next to Rukia was a tall, kind looking man with long white hair. His complexion was rather pale, but his expression was cheerful.

Ichigo turns to the side and notices his two little sisters heading his way. He waves them over with a smile. Yuzu and Karin take their place next to their brother not before greeting the other occupants. Rukia then took it upon herself to introduce the girls to the other man. She uses her hand to motion towards the white-haired man next to her, “This is my taichou—Ukitake-taicho.”

“I’m Ukitake Juushiro, the captain of the 13th Division. I’m honored to have finally met you, Karin-chan, Yuzu-chan! I’ve heard so much about you from Kuchiki and Ichigo-kun!”

“Geh!” Karin’s mouth twitches, “Ummm… Ukitake-san…? What exactly—no never mind…” _What exactly did they blabber about!?_ She glares at her brother, adding pressure to him which he brushes off.

Ukitake smiles warmly at the siblings, then his eyes suddenly brighten as if a lightbulb went off in his mind. He digs into his haori and pulls out great amounts of snacks and candies, placing them in front of the twins. The girls’ initial reaction is surprise, however soon after their eyes sparkle at the yummy snacks. “Here, have some snacks! They are really good.” Ukitake chuckles.

“Really!” Karin perks up, “Thanks!”

“Thank you!” Yuzu grins.

Both girls reach forward and dig into the snacks offered to them. The captain grins while watching them along with the other three shinigami. Suddenly, a voice from behind the girls joins in.

“Do you guys like those stuff?”

Karin turns around with a bar of chocolate in her mouth, and Yuzu holding a cookie. Ichigo waves to the newcomer, “Yo, Toushiro!”

“Hwey Twoushrirou! Shuit, shuit.” Karin sticks up her hand in a half-hearted wave, before scooting closer to her sister to make more room on the blanket. She pats the now-empty space next to her, motioning for Toushiro to sit.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” The shorter white-haired captain sits down next to Karin and across from Ukitake.

“Would you like some snacks too, Hitsugaya-taichou?” Ukitake begins to dig through his clothes for more, the smaller “-shiro” tries to stop him—and fails. A mountain of snacks is pushed onto Toushiro.

Toushiro’s eyebrows twitch slightly at the opposing “treats” but forces out a thank you to the older captain. He glares at the offending snacks and mumbles, “Why always me…?”

Karin notices her friend’s great distaste. _Must be hard on Toushiro, being the youngest captain… I mean I can tell Ukitake-san means no harm, but Toushiro really hates being treated like a child. Mmnn… might as well lend him a hand._ Karin pulls on the white sleeve of Toushiro’s haori, catching the cloth owner’s attention. She flashes a grin before reaching her hand out and taking a bag of chips from Toushiro’s mountain. “I have been craving this, so I’m taking it!”

Toushiro blinks at Karin, before catching what Karin was trying to do. “Here just take whatever you like. This is too much for me to eat, so everyone can have some.” He pours his snacks into the twins’ initial pile. Toushiro looks at Rukia then points at the tea she is drinking. “Kuchiki can I have some tea?”

“Of course, Hitsugaya-taicho!” Rukia busies herself by pouring the tea into another cup. Then, she reaches over Renji to hand the cup to the young captain. However, there is one thing she didn’t account for. Renji, at that time, was also reaching over to grab one of the snacks in the giant snack pile.

**CRASH!**

By instinct, Renji catches the petite raven haired girl so she lay in his arms bridal style. Rukia, on the other hand, stabilizes the cup in her hands, hoping that it didn’t spill. “Renji! Did it spill?!”

Renji leans over her to check the cup, “No.”

A sigh of relief flows out of the petite raven-haired girl’s lips as she closes her eyes. Then, she suddenly opens them.

They both realized what position they were in.

Rukia hastily jumps up, her face all red and her eyes spinning. “S-sorry, R-r-renji! My bad!”

Renji’s face was equal as flustered if not more, as he stutters, “N-n-n-no problem!”

Tensely, Rukia walks over to the smaller white-haired captain and hands him his drink. Before awkwardly and rigidly striding back to her seat.

 _It seems it will take them a while to recover._ Karin sweat drops at the thought.

Meanwhile, Yuzu is smiling from ear-to-ear. _Aww… How cute!_

And the party carries on. Renji divulges himself in snacks along with Ichigo consoling him, while the rest of the group enjoy small conversations.

“Oh! I just remembered!” Ukitake-taicho suddenly lets out, catching the attention of the whole group. “Have you two decided what you want to do from now on?”

The brunette twin tensed at the question, but the raven-haired twin answers without hesitation. “I’m going to take the Shin’o Academy’s entrance exam,” Karin states without a doubt in her voice. This causes the group to get quiet.

The most shocked of the group is Yuzu, she had no idea her twin was even thinking of becoming of shinigami. _When did Karin-chan decide this?_ No—Yuzu knew the answer to her question. Why wouldn’t she? After all, she is the black-haired girl’s twin. She knew, that since they had landed in Soul Society—no—since the moment they **died** —Karin had decided to become a shinigami.

“I won’t allow it!” aggressive voice cuts in. It was Ichigo, in all of his protective glory, which opposed first. “How can you even decide something that big without talking with me first?! Or even Yuzu—“

“Onii-chan.” Yuzu finds her voice calling out, causing Ichigo to freeze and turn from one younger sister to another. “This is what Karin-chan had wanted since the moment we landed here. And I know if anyone could become a shinigami, Karin-chan could!”

Her statement causes Ichigo to calm down slightly, which leads to Karin speaking up herself. “Yeah, Ichi-nii! Don’t think that you can keep hiding us forever!”

“I’m not hiding you or anything! I’m just—“

The two very similar siblings start to fight. Everyone around them tries to pacify the two, but with no result. Meanwhile, using her own siblings as a distraction, Yuzu sneaks out of the party, and onto the streets of Seireitei.

She finds herself lost deep in thought as she walks aimlessly through the night.

_What should I do from now on? The only things I am good at are housework and cooking… My sole job was to take care of the house and resemble Mom as close as I could… My job was to stay on the side and watch over them with a smile…_

_But now that I’m dead what can I do?_

_Now that I’m dead, what is my worth?_

_Karin-chan is strong so she can be a shinigami—I know she can! She will climb the ladder of shinigami and will marry Toshirou-kun, and will have the most adorable shinigami babies! Hehe! And I will be their great aunt who will watch over them when Karin-chan and Toshirou-kun are away on missions and at work!_

Yuzu smiles at the thought, but slowly the smile falls.

_But, besides that what am I worth. That is way farther down in the future…_

_What should I do?_

**“What are you doing here?”**

Yuzu snaps out of her thoughts. Before she had realized it, she had somehow ended up inside the sixth division garden. Standing in the middle of the beautiful garden as she gazes at te beautiful moon. She twirls around to where the voice had come from to find a familiar man standing behind her.

His black hair seemed to have a smooth shine under the moonlight as his gray eyes also seemed to sparkle more than they had in the day. Kuchiki Byakuya stood before her.

Instinctively, Yuzu puts on her smiling face. She answers the man calmly as if nothing was wrong. “Good evening, Kuchiki-san.”

However, to Byakuya, the smile seemed forced. Plus she had caught the girl earlier, absent-mindedly entering the garden and staring up at the moon. Byakuya inquires her smoothly, “Do you wish to talk about it?”

This catches Yuzu by surprise.

_Had he caught me when I was thinking?_

Yuzu lets out a small breath but does not let go of her smile. “Kuchiki-san, could you answer this for me? What should I do now?” Her eyes soften, and she turns around to face the moon instead of the Kuchiki head.

Silence suffocates the garden with only the girl, the noble, and the moon to feel it. Closing his eyes, the dark-haired noble steps forward towards the lone girl. His lips part as his smooth, deep voice flows through the silence. “I believe, it does not matter what I say.” Yuzu turns around towards the young noble. “What you should be thinking right now is not ‘What should I do’ but ‘ _What do I want to do_ ’, should it not?”

“What… do I _want_ to do…?” Yuzu’s soft voice comes out as a whisper, barely audible, but Byakuya could hear it.

Byakuya’s gray eyes peer down, and hold onto Yuzu’s brown ones. “Tell me Kurosaki Yuzu,”

 

“What do **you** want to do?”

 

_What do **I** want to do?_

_What **do** I want to do?_

_Do I want to do as I have been—standing on the side, watching as they went far from home, watching them continuously put their lives at risk to protect what is important to them. Do I want to be the same me who just stands there at te exit, watching as they leave, and giving them a goodbye? Do I want to be me—who let them constantly worry and I who constantly worried about them? Do I want to be the innocent bystander any longer…?_

**_—No. that isn’t right._ **

_Do I want to be the pathetic me who never wanted to venture farther than the safety of our home?_

**_No—what I want to be is… is--_ **

 

**_—strong._ **

 

Yuzu gasps, letting out the breath she was unintentionally holding. Her eyes slide close as her lips tug upwards into a genuine smile. Her expression was now at ease as she guides her eyes to meet Byakuya’s own. “Thank you, Kuchiki-san.”

 

 

“I want to be a shinigami.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? Was the party fun? What do you think will happen from now on? What are your ideas for the Shin'o academy entrance exam? Please comment and leave a kudos!


	9. Brave Soul 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karin and Yuzu take the Shin'o Academy entrance exam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the LONG wait! Here it is--Chapter 9!

“Okay, Yuzu,” Rukia’s violet orbs meet Yuzu’s chestnut ones, “Just do as I taught you.”

Yuzu nods with a bit of reluctance before closing her eyes.

_Focus…_

Yuzu let’s her shoulders relax, as she bring her hands in front of her.

_Breathe…_

The brunette slowly inhales from her nostrils, and then exhales through her mouth.

In her pitch-black sea of sight, she felt it spark—from deep with her.

_…Gather all the energy in front of you…_

Yuzu concentrates on an image, the image of a sphere of light. She then snaps her eyes open and looks into her hands.

A small but bright ball of light floats in front of her hands, making Yuzu become excited at the phenomenon.

“Yuzu! Stay focused!” Rukia’s voice jumps.

Suddenly, the ball of light begins to grow and shrink uncontrollably. **Pop!** Which leads to the inevitable explosion. Rukia rushes over to Yuzu frantically, “Yuzu, are you alright?!”

Yuzu gives Rukia a reassuring smile, “Thank you Rukia-san. I’m alright.”

Letting out a strangled breath, Rukia smiles at the younger brunette. “That’s good.” She strokes Yuzu’s head gently. “You have done well, Yuzu. With this, you will surely pass the reiatsu exam!”

“It’s all because of your patient guidance, Rukia-san! Thank you!” Yuzu hums.

Suddenly, the sound of the sliding door clattering is heard. “Oi! Yuzu!” A messy head of orange pops out from the open door as Ichigo enters the room.

“Onii-chan!” Yuzu beams at her brother’s appearance. The brunette runs over to her older brother, “What are you doing here? Weren’t you training with Ikkaku-san and Renji-san?”

Ichigo scratches his cheek, “Ahh—about that…” he trails on with a troubled expression, “Well you see… we were training back at the 11th Division, but then… Kenpachi noticed and chased me around…”

Rukia places her hands on her waist and sighs, shaking her head. Yuzu giggles awkwardly, “Is that so…”

“Anyways, enough about me,” Ichigo shakes the thoughts away before turning to Rukia, “So, Rukia, how’d she do? Do you think she will pass?”

“Hmph!” Rukia brings her lips into a smirk, “Of course she will pass! I taught her after all!”

“That’s what I’m worried about…” Ichigo mutters under his breath.

“Why you—! What do you mean?! I’m a fine teacher!” Rukia argues.

Ichigo barks back, “I said exactly what I mean! It’s hard learning from you! Especially with your drawings!”

Rukia’s vein pops, “What do you mean with my drawings?! My artwork is very professional and cute!”

“More like childish…” Ichigo grumbles.

Rukia hears his comment, making her angrier. “Well, unlike you, Yuzu is a brilliant and diligent student! She has good control of her reiatsu—unlike a certain substitute shinigami I know!” Rukia fights back.

“Well, at least I’m not a midget!”

“Who are you calling a midget?! Idiot!”

It was a humorous sight of the tall orange haired teen glaring down at the short black haired girl, electricity running in between their intense brown and violet eyes. Yuzu smiles as she watches the two friends bicker.

 

 

 

A week had passed since then, and now the twins stand before the humongous gates of Shin’o Academy. Seeing them off to their exams, Ichigo pessimistically questioned the twins if they were alright and about how they were feeling. “Oi, are you two sure you are alright? You guys aren’t feeling too nervous or anything?”

“We’ll be fine, Ichi-nii!” Karin grumbles, “You’re acting like Dad now, it’s gross.”

“Wha—Karin! I’m just worried for you two!” Ichigo defends.

Karin stomps her foot in frustration, “Well there isn’t anything you need to worry about! Plus why are you seeing us off?! You are drawing too much attention to us!”

The three siblings stood in front of the gates, and the heads of other people turned as they passed the trio, all being drawn to the bright orange hair and giant knife-like zanpakuto. Then, after catching sight of the young hero, they would whisper frantically to each other and stare at the twins—some glaring with jealousy and others puzzling curiously.

A vein pops out from Karin’s head at the mountain of whispers. Annoyed, she points to Ichigo, her pointer finger digging into his kimono. “Anyways! Ichi-nii! Go back to Seireitei and wait!” She grabs Yuzu’s wrist and drags her through the gates. “Come on, Yuzu!”

“Bye Onii-chan!” Yuzu smiles enthusiastically as she waves to her older brother.

Suddenly, Karin turns around back to her pessimistic brother. “Ichi-nii!” Ichigo shifts his attention to the darker-haired twin. “Wait for the good news!” She flashes a mighty grin.

Ichigo gapes at his sisters for a split second before his lips lift into a smile. “Yeah,” He grunts, “Come back soon.”

The twins depart, entering through the large gates to the academy. They meet a long walkway, with a sign on the road telling the applicants where to go. Following these instructions, Karin and Yuzu walk to the examination location.

The location was a wide dirt field, enough room for the thousands of applicants to stand around to wait. At the end of the quad, there was a huge building with the doors shut and shinigami bodyguards in front. When entering the quad, Karin and Yuzu are both handed a slip of paper with a number on it.

“Yuzu, what’s your number? Mine is 124.” Karin inquires.

“Mine is 125! Right after yours!”

Karin chuckled, “Then we should be getting out around the same time too!”

The girls giggle as they infiltrate the quad, venturing further in towards the exam room. Karin and Yuzu find a comfy spot under a sakura tree and wait for their numbers to be called. Meanwhile, they took their time to observe the other applicants. The applicants varie from size to shape to age even! There seemed to be no discrimination on age for the applicants, as the test could be taken by any civilian. However, what caught Karin’s eyes was that there were no real competition at the moment. The reiatsu levels of the area was stable, and no one really stood out.

Suddenly, gravity felt heavier out of nowhere, and most of the applicants were stuck to the ground. It even took Karin a bit of a struggle to not fall with the rest of them. On the other hand, Yuzu was able to resist the urge of falling as well,, as she clung to her sister. With her dark grey eyes, Karin scans the area to look for the source of the reiatsu. _It doesn’t seem like the pressure is coming from any of the applicants here… that can only mean it’s the applicant currently being ecaluated._ Shiny black hair catches Karin’s eyes, they widen in surprise as she sees a handsome young man sitting upright despite the pressure. He had a refined, cool aura and it seemed as if he had not even noticed the extreme reiatsu pressure. _This guy is definetly strong…!_  Soon, Karin’s shoulders feel lighter and the pressure that had stomped on the souls was lifted. The giant doors leading to the exam opened wide, allowing the applicant inside to be free.

Curious, Karin eyes the young man who steps out. He had long brunette hair tied into a ponytail and confident golden eyes. With a smirk, the mysterious applicant walks jauntily towards the raven-haired teen from earlier and sits next to him before striking up a one-sided conversation. However, no matter how much the brunette chattered, the cool dark=haired boy didn’t seem to mind. _They are probably friends…_

“Next, number 124!” One of the guards in front of the exam room calls out. Responding to her number, Karin stands up.

She turns around to give a reassuring smile to Yuzu, “Welp! I’ll see you soon!”

“Do your best!” Yuzu encourages her, “I’ll be cheering you on from here!”

Karin chuckles, reaching for Yuzu’s head. She pets it affectionately, “Just prepare for your own test, I’ll be fine!”

Yuzu nods affectionately, “Mmn!”

“Okay, I’m off.” Karin waves as she disappears through the giant doors.

Once inside, Karin’s vision is met with a plain room. In front there are three people: a slim man, an old man, and a rather strict looking woman, all with serious expressions. The door behind her closes shut, and Karin eyes it cautiously. Then her dark grey eyes shift to the three figures in front of her.

The old man begins, “Welcome applicant 124. Please state your name.”

The raven-haired girl prepares to gauge reactions as she lets the name flow from her lips, “Kurosaki Karin.”

A small gasp comes from the uptight woman, while the slim man’s eyes widen in surprise slightly; and though the old man didn’t look fazed, there was a slight uplift in his lips. “Well then Ms. Kurosaki Karin, please display your reiatsu.”

Karin’s lips lift into a smirk at the signal. She closes her eyes and imagines the locks unlocking and the chains unwinding until the giant light ball is free.

Meanwhile, outside of the examination room, Yuzu was sitting by herself as she faithfully waited for Karin. She was smiling brightly as she daydreamed about the night of the welcome party.

 

_“I want to be a shinigami.” Yuzu’s hazel eyes gleamed under the moonlight as they made contact with Byakuya’s mysterious silver orbs._

_The cool wind of spring ruffled the leaves, and the silence felt oddly calm._

_Finally, the silence was broken._

_A small, slight smile graced Byakuya’s usual emotionless face._

_However, the moment was too short as Byakuya’s usual face returned. “Then do as you must, Kurosaki Yuzu.”_

 

Yuzu couldn’t help but hum at the flashback. _Okay, now all I need to do it pass!_ Yuzu pumps herself up as she prepares her mind for her own test. Suddenly, Yuzu jumps at the warmth on her shoulder. She quickly turns around ot find her raven-haired twin standing behind her a grim spread across her face. “Karin-chan! How did you do?”

“I practically saw the older geezer’s moustache fall off from his face! So, it probably went well!” Karin jokes, “Well, are you ready?”

Yuzu gives her determined eyes, “Yeah, I’m ready.”

“Good.” The darker-haired girl chuckles as she reaches for her twin’s hand. She gives Yuzu a little squeeze, “I’ll be waiting for the good news.”

Yuzu squeezes back, “I’ll be back.” They let go of each other’s hands, and Yuzu leaves to the examination room.

 

 

A vast crowd suround a giant billboard as one lone man walks to it with a poster in hand. He pastes it on the billboard nimbly before rushing to escape as the crowd rages to the board. In the crowd, a certain group of twins stood examining the poster.

Yuzu and Karin squint, scanning for their designated numbers. Karin mumbles under her breath as she counts off the passing numbers, while Yuzu squeezes her hands together like she is in prayer.

“…123… 124! I found it! I’m in!” Karin exlcaims with happiness.

Yuzu quickly twirls her attention towards her sister. “Where? Is my number there?” She desperately inquires, squeezing her hands even harder.

“Let me see… 124… 125!” Karin pulls Yuzu into a hug, “You did it, Yuzu! You passed! We passed!”

Yuzu’s face was filled with joy, “Yes, we did!”

As soon as they heard the news, the twins run back home to Seireitei barracks where they are greeted by their brother and their friends. That night light peeps out of the thirtheenth division barracks as the echoes of laughter and banter accompany the night.

However, there was one girl who strayed away from the party. She sits on a boulder in the middle of a grassy plain. With her head tilted towards the sky, she takes in the night. Her silver eyes reflect the stars, and her raven hair gleams under the moonlight. Suddenly, a white-haired boy appears from behind the girl silently; and, just as silently, he strides to the girl’s side.

Reacting to the new presence, Karin tilts her head towards Toushiro. “Hey Toushiro.”

“Why aren’t you at the party?” The young captain inquires.

Karin chuckles, “The same could be said to you.” Silence embraces the two as they stare at the star-filled sky. Karin lets out a breath.

Toushiro’s turquoise eyes shift down to Karin. Her eyebrows were slightly knotted and her grey eyes were filled with conflict. He watches her for a few seconds in silence, taking in the situation, before scratching the back of his head and letting out a sigh. “What’s troubling you, Kurosaki?”

Karin flinches, “Troubling me—nothing is troubling me!”

“You don’t need to act tough with me,” Toushiro sighs, “I know something is on your mind.”

Karin remains silent for several seconds before letting out an irritated groan. “Geez, Toushiro! How can you read me so well!?”

Toushiro’s lips lift into a small smirk, “We are friends after all.”

“Fine! I’ll tell you!” Karin surrenders. She lets out a shaky breath as her eyes fade to a far away place.

Toushiro stood next to her, waiting for her confession.

“At the exam… there were two amazingly strong guys.” Karin begins, “They’re reiatsu was so strong—much stronger than mine and even a huge hollows!” She scratches her hair in frustration. “And it was just so—so pathetic! I felt like I didn’t even hold a candle to them! I felt like I was weak—and I already know I am, but—“ Karin takes a deep breath and exhales it. “—if I can’t get at least as strong as them, how will I protect Yuzu!? I already know that once we enter the classroom on orientation, and once everyone in the school hears our names—everyone will be our rivals! We will be otracized, and all we have are each other! And then bullies will surely target us! So I have to be strong!” Tears start to flow from Karin’s eyes. “But—I don’t think I can do it, Toushiro… What should I do?”

The young captain was shocked. In Toushiro’s eyes, Karin seemed so fragile at that moment, like she could break by touching her with a single finger—and he hated seeing her like this. Gently, he pulls her head to his shoulder. Karin’s ears flush as she felt her friend’s warm breath on her skin. “You aren’t weak… you’re strong.” He strokes her head just as soothingly as his voice to her ears. “I know you can do it—because you are Karin; Karin who can stand up against huge hollows, Karin who kicks soccer balls aggressively at strangers,” he chuckles, “Karin who protects her family with everything she has.” Karin breaks away from Toushiro’s shoulder, and steely grey eyes meet calming turquoise ones. Her eyes widen as she sees the unexpected—Toushiro’s smiling face. It was so warm and full of care that it made the girl blush slightly.

Her own lips respond to his words, lifting into a small smile. “Thanks Toushiro.”

Then a silence kicks in, and in that long silence, the two friends return to gazing at the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it? I know it may be sort of bad--I deeply apologize. However, it took me a long time with my writers block on certain parts on this chapter! Please leave a kudos and a comment before you go!~


	10. Brave Soul 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karin and Yuzu start their new life at Shin'o Academy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long time of not updating!!! You see, I didn't feel really inspired and I didn't know how to write this chapter, but today I got lots of inspiration and finished it! All your comments made me more motivated to pick up the series and have another look at it! Thank you for all your support!  
> Also, please read the End Notes.

The towering white building with its wide golden roof intimidates two young girls as they stand before it, gazing up at its top. Proud and confident grey eyes gleam in the daylight as Karin breathes in the fresh, morning air. She turns to her twin with a cheeky grin, “We’ve finally escaped Ichi-nii and now it’s time.”

“Yes,” Yuzu replies with a smile, “Let’s go, Karin-chan.”

Just a moment ago, the two were being held up by their older, orange-headed brother, who was frantically checking the two and seeing if they were ready for their new life at the boarding school. Yuzu chuckled awkwardly, while Karin felt annoyed at the experience since it was only drawing unwanted attention to them. To have a famous figure, like their brother, fuss over them caused a stir among the other students passing by, but she knew that he was only caring for them. Soon, after Karin snapped and gave a fit to Ichigo, she dragged Yuzu away with only a wave for a goodbye. Yuzu made sure she said goodbye though.

Now the two were heading inside the building, only to greet a billboard with a huge crowd around it. The two search for their names on this said billboard and found it under the 1st class. Karin exclaims, “Yes! We’re in the same class!”

“We get to stay together!” Yuzu gleams at the news. _Phew… I was able to make it into Karin-chan’s class!_

After the twins little happy dance, they decide to move onto their classroom. However, they could not miss the unsettling murmurs that were lingering in the halls. “I heard that Kurosaki Ichigo’s little sisters are attending this year.”

“No way! The hero’s?!”

“Yeah, he even came to the front during the entrance exam and today to see them off.”

“Wow! They probably are super talented just like him!”

“Huh? I think they’d just be some spoiled, snotty brats.”

 _Tch! What do they know?_ Karin grumbles internally at the gossip. She takes a sneak glance at her sister and smiles, glad that she was too focused on something else to take the comments to heart. A new sort of determination flares in Karin’s chest. _I will protect you, Yuzu._

It took a few minutes before the twins arrived at the classroom. When they did they were amazed at how many desks had filled the room. Yuzu questions whether all the seats would be taken as Karin scopes the room for whether there was assigned seating. Apparently, there was, as the dark-haired girl spots their names among the organized name tags on the desks in front of each seat.

Cheerfully, Karin begins to drag Yuzu down the stair and deeper into the maze of desks until they reach their designated seats: two seats near the middle of the row, right next to one another. Karin plops down into her seat and Yuzu slips into hers, happy to be sitting next to her sister.

“Excuse me!” A sudden voice surprises the twins, having them turn to the figure which called out to them. “Could you sit up for a second, please? I need to get through to my seat.” A young man with long light brown hair tied up in a ponytail and golden eyes asks. Karin couldn’t help but feel that the boy looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place her finger on where she had seen him before.

The twins stand up  to make way for the newcomer, “Sorry, for the inconvenience.” Yuzu apologizes politely.

The boy scratches his head and smiles at the girls, “No—no it was no trouble at all!” He then reaches out his right hand to Karin first, “I’m Kagura Satsuki by the way.”

Karin takes his hand and shakes it, “I’m Kurosaki Karin.”

He then moves on to shake Yuzu’s hand as well. “And I’m Kurosaki Yuzu.”

He looks at the two with surprise first, but then smiles. “Oh! Wow! Could you be the rumored Kurosaki Ichigo’s little sisters?”

“Haha… yep—that’s us!” After answering, Karin’s eyes narrow to the side and Yuzu became a bit tense, both feeling uncomfortable about the subject.

Satsuki noticed Karin’s and Yuzu’s tenseness and chuckles, “You two don’t have to worry about me being one of those idolizers and gossipers.” He reaches from his chair over the girls to the boy about to sit next to Yuzu. “After all, I’m the ultra-useful/best retainer of this guy here!” The dark-haired boy in Satsuki’s grasps sighs at his friend’s behavior and the two girls stare at Satsuki blankly.

Noticing the confusion from the two girls, Satsuki continues making his point: “This here is Kuchiki Hinata, next head of the Kuchiki branch family—practically already as I’m concerned!” He winks at the twins, “So don’t worry girls, I’ll treat you like normal souls.”

Yuzu gives Satsuki an expression of concern as she notices the glare Satsuki is receiving from his master’s blue eyes. Hinata shrugs the boy off and shoos him back to his seat before formally introducing himself to the girls. “I’m Kuchiki Hinata, please refer to me by ‘Hinata’.”

“I’m Kurosaki Yuzu.”

“I’m Kurosaki Karin, and both of you just refer to us by our first names that way we know who you are talking to!” Karin gives a small joke.

Feeling left out, the brunette boy takes his turn, “Well then, you guys refer to me as ‘Kagura’! It’s nothing personal or anything—I just don’t like my first name very much…” he puts a hand up as if he is telling them a secret, “It’s kind of girly after all.”

Yuzu was about to respond that “Satsuki” was a beautiful name, but before she could speak, the teacher walks in and straightens out the class. Soon, class began with roll call and the expected reactions to famous names like “Kurosaki” and “Kuchiki” happened, but were calmed by the teacher. However, all throughout class, Yuzu could not help but have lingering thoughts about what Kagura had said.

_Satsuki is a pretty name, though._

 

Like the boring homeroom class, which consisted of just roll call and a tour, the next class, Kido, was also quite boring. After all, it was the first day. So all the teacher could do was explain the curriculum and the basics and concepts of Kido.

“Kido, or the Spirit Way, is a form of combat based on advanced spells.” Explains out teacher, “These spells are produced with strong Reiryoku. They fall into two categories: Hado for direct attacks and Bakudo for battle support spells. Though you don’t need Kido to be a shinigami, it is very useful to be able to cast Kido spells as it gives variety to your attacks, or else you are limited to only using physical type skills such as Zanjutsu, Hakuda, or Hohou—not that those are bad or anything.” The teacher continues to rant, sometimes mentioning something about the 11th Division and Abarai Renji being hopeless at Kido. “Anyways, Kido spells are triggered by an incantation; however, experienced users can trigger them without an incantation, though the effectiveness may go down.”

However, not all of the class was boring. “Today, we will practice Hado #1: Shou spell. Now I will line up 5 people at once and we will take turns shooting Shou at those targets lined up over there. Now the first five stand up and point your index finger at the target!”

 

Most left the room, feeling slightly confident, as they were able to release Sho, though it was very weak or missed the target. Yuzu and Karin left the room with Kagura and Hinata, with Kagura and Karin chatting excitedly about the next class: Hakuda. But, that didn’t make Karin fail to hear the murmurs behind the quartets’ backs.

“Kuchiki and Kurosaki did well.”

“Yeah, Kuchiki even obliterated the target on the first try.”

“They’re such show-offs, acting like they’re better than us.”

“Yeah—“

Karin refused to hear more and pretended that she had not heard a thing as she tuned back into her original conversation.

 

A kick reflexively meets another kick, making the two combatants slide across the mat from the collision. Karin glares at her opponent: a tall blonde haired boy with gelled up hair and equally glaring hazel eyes. _He is good_. She praised him in her mind before they meet for another blow.

Currently, they are in Hakuda class, and their teacher, Gengoro, decided to have a Hakuda tournament on the first day to check out his student’s current skills and talents. After a long while of fighting, the class has finally reached its semi-finals, with Karin and her opponent, Satou Ryouhei, at each other’s necks.

A dash and a slam, a jab and a kick, another kick and another jab, and yet the fight was not ending. Time is running short for the class, and soon Gengoro has to step in and stop the fight, announcing Karin is the winner due to not having as much damage taken as Ryouhei had.

The class is in awe and murmurs once again befall the crowd.

“As expected of Kurosaki Ichigo’s little sister.”

“Yeah, we can’t keep up with that.”

Karin feels uncomfortable from the attention she is receiving, but she tries to shake it off in order to meet with her opponent for a handshake. However, Ryouhei had snapped his tongue at the sight of her before walking off in the opposite direction. This made Karin pissed. _How rude! What the heck is his problem!_

Annoyed by all the unwanted attention, Karin stomps back to her friends.

 

The quartet sits under a cherry blossom tree as they enjoy their lunch. Yuzu had packed a delightful bento for her and her sister that morning, to celebrate their entrance in the academy. Karin was drooling all over it; meanwhile,  Hinata pulls out an extravagant layered bento and glares at it. Kagura only laughs at his friend's display of dislike towards his own lunch and decides to dig into it.

Hinata snaps at Kagura to show some manner, rather than caring that his own retainer was digging into his lunch. Yuzu chuckles. _They seem more like best friends than master and servant._

Karin looks over at Kagura’s lunch and eyes the fancy sushi before stealing it. Kagura in his maddening food craze, shouts, “An eye-for-an-eye!” as he quickly steals an omelet from Karin’s lunch. Karin grumbles at this, and then the two initiate a food war—eating style.

Yuzu chuckles at the energetic display as she eats her lunch, and Hinata enjoys his own, dodging every so often when Kagura came tumbling backward.

From the happy mood, Karin cheers up and almost forgets the whole incident from earlier.

 

After the satisfying lunch war, the quartet engages their next class: Hohou. The teacher decided to explain the basics of Hohou, “Hohou is a defensive style of fighting which is related to footwork—it is not actually just all footwork—it is indeed a fighting technique quite useful for a shinigami. In fact, one can say it is one of the most important skills for a shinigami as in a shinigami’s job, speed and agility are essences!” She goes into a very dramatic rant-explanation on how important Hohou is before giving a cough to catch everyone’s attention again. “Ahem! The skill level of Hohou can be enhanced and improved through concentration, training, and mastery of it! Shunpo or flash steps is the greatest expression of the Hohou technique! However, this technique depends on one’s speed! Therefore, today we will be doing some running! I’d like to see everyone try their best to run around this track four times! This will be timed! Now everyone line up!”

“That was a bit much…” Yuzu sighs. Her feet were hurting very painfully and she believes she has blisters.

Karin gives her a look of concern, “Are you alright, Yuzu? Do you need me to carry you?” Karin didn’t feel as much pain as Yuzu did since she was in shape with all the soccer she played.

“Or how about I carry you, Yuzu-chan?” Kagura jumps in.

Yuzu blushes slightly from embarrassment, “No—no, it isn’t anything that serious…”

“Are you sure?” Hinata was the one to speak up this time, a glint of concern in his eyes. “You don’t have to be polite to this guy,” he points to the brunette who whines at his friend’s comment. “He is full of stamina, so he can carry you if your feet really hurt a lot.”

“Y-yes… I’m quite sure… thank you.” Yuzu gives the group a small smile, happy that they cared for her.

 

Finally, the last class, Zanjutsu, has been just like the rest. First was an explanation of the subject, and next was a demonstration. Seizo, who apparently retired from the 11th Division, was the instructor and he was not selecting 2 students in order to do a demonstration. Several people have raised their hands, itching to show everyone what they are made of. Seizo made his decision, “Let’s see… Kagura Satsuki and Satou Ryouhei—let’s see the two of you spar.”

Kagura jumps for joy, “Yay! I got chosen!” He then waves to the class, “Just wait, everyone, I'll show all of you what I’m made of~”

“Heh! Show off.” A boy among the crowd murmurs.

Another joins, “I bet he is super weak.”

“Yeah, probably all bark and no bite.”

“He just thinks he is a hotshot since he is always by Kuchiki and Kurosaki.”

Kagura utterly ignores the harsh whispers, as if they were never there, and turns to get out onto the mats. Karin was impressed by his nerves of steel and confidence. _How can he be so outgoing, yet not feel nervous at all…_

Kagura was about to exit the crowd when Hinata grabs his wrists and gave him a meaningful look. Kagura seems to understand what he was trying to say and gives him a small smile. “Got it, I’ll be careful.” He then slips away from Hinata’s grip and steps up to the stage.

Seizo gives both boys a bamboo sword and the two step closer to shake each other’s hand, as a show of sportsmanship.

“Show me what you got.” Ryouhei commands daringly.

Kagura smirks, “You too.”

Then the two step back from one another, Seizo called out, “Ready?”, signaling the two to take a fighting stance.

Kagura holds his sword to his left waist as if he has sheathed it. Ryouhei held it in front of him, ready to attack.

“Go!”

The two are released.

“Stop!” Seizo ends the match.

The students are all stunned into silence.

Karin couldn’t help but tremble.

In an instant, Kagura had made a quick release and the sword was right at Ryouhei’s heart. The room was tense as everyone was still in anticipation. Kagura smirks, “Game over.” And he taps his opponent with the tip of the bamboo sword.

That little pressure was enough for Ryouhei to fall over, stunned at what he had experienced.

He couldn’t describe it.

It was as if he was frozen in time and in a second—he was there—at his heart—

—ready to kill.

The room remains silent and tense, no one daring to move an inch.

That is before the atmosphere is broken by a hearty laugh.

“Hahaha! What’s with all of you? Where’s my applause!” Kagura gives a goofy smile as he passes the sword to Seizo. He then moves to Ryouhei and holds out his hand. “Hey, are you alright there? Or are you going to sleep on the floor all day?”

Ryouhei blushed slightly at the comment and quickly scrambles to his feet. “I was already getting up!”

A clap broke out in the crowd, from Hinata, though it sounded slightly monotone for some reason. However, no matter how bland the clap sounded, it reached the others and soon the whole class was clapping.

“Thank you! Thank you!” Kagura bows playfully.

As Karin was clapping amongst the other students, she had only one thought in mind.

_I’m not strong enough._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, next time I will have pictures of what everyone looks like in their uniforms! I have some sketched out, but I'm just too busy to actually draw them on the pc!  
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please comment below about what you thought, and maybe if you have any suggestions, please tell me! (Like events or some sort of situation) It would really be helpful, and it might just fuel my inspiration!  
> Also, I'm a bit lost on how to fill all these school days... All I have is training and character development, but that can't just all be crushed in there and rushed... I want to have some fun comedy scenarios to fill in the gaps... So if you think of anything you think would be fun, or you just want to see-- just comment about it!  
> Thank you and please leave a kudos~


End file.
